April 26, 2017

Yes indeed it's that time of the year. The season is upon us, and the opportunity to Get More Gear Inexpensively is coming! Yeah we could say "out with the old, in with the new" and that might work for you. Me I like all of my old gear and just need more. Anyhow May 13th at Hampton Watersports is the Spring windsurfing swap meet, kiteboarding swap meet, and SUP swap meet rolled into one.

As for the deets:

If you're selling used equipment, drop off your gear during the week preceding (or arrive early that Saturday morning). If you're buying, bring your money! If you're looking for sails, it's helpful if you know what size masts you own, and what the minimum and maximum extension lengths of your boom is, to make sure you can rig what you buy. If you're swapping (selling and buying) well then you're my brother or sister! Note to sellers: If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash. Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks". So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2017 equipment to drool over, and some closeouts on 2016 leftovers. Festivities start Saturday morning at 9. If you have questions, call the shop at 631-283-9463. See you there!

August 22, 2016

The Save The Waves Film Festival is making it's way along the East Coast, and will be stopping in Easthampton on Friday September 2nd at Guild Hall. Noted Puffin/Wind Chimp/maker of films Christian has a hand in it, and he says "it'll be a spectacular evening of beer, surf movies and attention to this fragile playground we get to take advantage of so much."

How do you say no to that?

Other stops on the tour include Virginia Beach and Long Beach Island, but if you want to say Hi to Christian you'll really need to get out to East Hampton. For more information, check out the Save The Waves Film Festival web site.

August 04, 2016

What the heck happened to the blog? One post per month? Lame... Yes it's true. The "why" is my wife and I rented out our house for the summer, and so your humble editor is marooned in New York City until Labor Day weekend is concluded. My skin is dry and itchy...my body feels wrong. Acute lack of salt water exposure, aggravated by a lack of planing, exacerbated by a lack of wave therapy. Just terrible. In the interim there may be the odd guest report (thank you Peconic Jeff for the last one) and I may sneak out one midweek day if the stars align. Until then, good sailing and surfing to you!

May 31, 2016

My most excellent Iyengar yoga instructor Lucienne warned me that this would be difficult (bad difficult). SURELY (I thought)...SURELY if I go on extra-flat water I can manage a headstand. Sirsasana. SUP Sirsasana!

Yeah well...

With the Mrs. positioned with iPhone I proceeded to wobble and fall and wobble and fall...and the directions you fall in on the water are not the ones you fall in on a yoga mat. Finally I got up...held it for about two seconds before crashing down, banging one knee on the board, at which point I declared the operation "a bad idea" and got off the water.

May 11, 2016

Either way you can! I'm actually going to be helping out at Hampton Watersports on Saturday for the Spring swap meet. I'll be one of the guys in back, asking you things like "where do you sail?" and "will your significant other be borrowing this?" and "what do you already have" and "how long have you been kiting" and "do you SUP only flatwater, waves, for both?" and so forth. Trying to hook you up with the best choices in used gear, and helping you price the stuff you're selling so that it does indeed sell. Also I'll deny writing The Peconic Puffin. I'll point at someone else and say "it's his fault".

See you Saturday.

(If you're selling used equipment, drop off your gear early Saturday morning). If you're looking for sails, it's helpful if you know what size masts you own, and what the minimum and maximum extension lengths of your boom is, to make sure you can rig what you buy. Note to sellers: If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash. Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks". So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc. When in doubt ask the proprieter, Jonathan Ford.)

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2016 equipment to drool over. Festivities start Saturday morning at 9. If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463. See you there!

April 25, 2016

Ponquogue was smooth and organized (if not very big) Saturday, and Christian, Peconic Jeff, New Jeff, Tomas and yours truly got on it and had some fun. I also got to try out my roll bar GoPro mount on the paddle. It felt like a great warm-up day (which I sorely need)...would love to do it again with two more feet of wave, but I Am Grateful!

April 08, 2016

Hampton Watersport's spring swap meet returns on May 14th. This is important because are either in category A, B, or C.

Category A: You need gear.

Category B: You have gear you should sell (because you're ready for better gear, and someone else would benefit from using your old gear.)

Category C: Both A and B.

You know the drill: If you're selling used equipment, drop off your gear during the week preceding (or arrive early that Saturday morning). If you're buying, bring your money! If you're looking for sails, it's helpful if you know what size masts you own, and what the minimum and maximum extension lengths of your boom is, to make sure you can rig what you buy. If you're swapping (selling and buying) well then you're my brother or sister! Note to sellers: If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash. Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks". So the credit is as good as cash if you're a water crazy, a Puffin, a wind chimp etc

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will also be new 2016 equipment to drool over. Festivities start Saturday morning at 9. If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463. See you there!

March 27, 2016

It has been over three months since I'd been in the water at all. No windsurfing (Bonaire trip cancelled) no SUP...I was dry and lame and out of practice. I was so lame that even when I met Peconic Jeff at I Road to scout the waves (followed by K and Ponquogue) I had one foot back in my van. It looked cold. It looked less than perfect. I am so lame.

But then Tomas and New Jeff showed up, and my ridiculous factor was in too much contrast, so I suited up. Let the Dry Man Follies begin:

Tomas offered to adjust my hood seal. While checking it out he said "your wetsuit doesn't seem very thick."

Oh no. I accidentally grabbed the 3/2 instead of the 5/3. I didn't check. I am screwed! But Tomas had an EXTRA 5/3 in his truck, which he generously offered (and I gratefully borrowed) and got out on the water. The first time I fell though I was freezing...the thing leaked like a sieve. So I paddled in, where I met the Wolf, who had two things to say: Did I have an extra leash (he's been dry too, and did not pack properly) and why didn't I pull the cinch tight on the wetsuit I was wearing?

Doh, and I may have an extra leash. (That's in reverse order, and I did.)

In the end we all got out there. I did everything poorly except laugh at myself. I think I had a good day laughing! Looking forward to 2016 sesh #2.

January 28, 2016

The great Alf Imperato (the windsurfing instructor who, at my first clinic, told me "you sail fast but you do everything wrong. Everything." And who subsequently fixed me...) posted this on Facebook. Photo taken by William R. & Beach Activities of Maui. Can you imagine?

December 18, 2015

Save The Waves is an environmental protection org whose mission is "To protect and preserve the coastal environment with a focus on the surf zone." They have a vision of a world where waves and coastlines are cherished and protected, and surfing provides a proactive vehicle for long-term coastal conservation.

Sounds pretty important to us water folk, doesn't it?

As part of their latest fundraising efforts they're sharing a new film, directed by Puffin and Wind Chimp Christian Charles. Check it out, then think about donating. Here it is:

December 07, 2015

(sorry about the long break...the editorial staff has been otherwise engaged.)

I am apparently the last person in Puffindom, Chimpdom, Chimply Puffindom, Puffinly Chimpdom etc to learn about I Road. Between Ponquogue and The Bowl (park on the bay side, shlep over the wooden walkway, turn right to find a nice little break). Having been overly dry this fall I decided to let Christian talk me into making the drive, even though the wave forecast was "Flat" and "ankle to calf high" depending on who you looked at. No wind to speak of...SUPsurfing on a Sunday morning.

Nice spot! Flat turned out to be knee to thigh high, with the occasional surprise (whatever the height of Christian's nipples are, that's the biggest wave I saw.) Lefts and rights. Christian, Jeff, and a few other people enjoyed the wave. I will say the water is getting cold or I am getting wimply. Gloves needed and being in the water was brisk, and hell we're not even out of the fall yet! I must man up. (Christian didn't even wear a hood. "Like summer in England," he said.)

September 01, 2015

Long Island's Zeptember swap meet returns on the 19th at Hampton Watersports. You know the drill: If you're selling, drop off your gear during the week preceding (or arrive early that Saturday morning). If you're buying, bring your money! If you're buying sails, it's helpful if you know what size masts you own, and what the minimum and maximum extension lengths of your boom is, to make sure you can rig what you buy. If you're swapping (selling and buying) well then you're my brother or sister! Note to sellers: If you sell you get 100% store credit or 70% cash. Me I maintain a permanent account there, as I both windsurf and SUP, and one of the first three axioms of windsurfing I was taught was "shit breaks".

Rain or shine, buy or sell used Standup Paddleboarding, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Surfing gear. There will be closeout sails on 2015 equipment as well. If you have questions, call the shop 631-283-9463. See you there!

And now, in honor of Zeptember, I give you Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Stuff"